ASUSTeK Computer : Sustainability at The Heart of An Incredible Future

By Co-CEO Samson Hu

The theme of 2023 ASUS CES is Seeing an Incredible Future. To see the future, you have to take a clear-eyed look at the present and the past. If the past few years offer any lessons, the world as we know it is more vulnerable than we would've imagined. The pandemic, climate change, inflation, and geopolitical tensions have given us a glimpse of the future that lies ahead of us if we remain on the same track. But an incredible tomorrow is still within our reach.

At ASUS, we believe the transformative power of technology contains within it the potential to change the path our world is on and help move us towards an incredible future. We just need to start building it today, putting sustainability at the heart of everything we do.

As our Chairman Jonney Shih said,

"We incorporate sustainable development goals into the corporate decision-making process to make positive contributions to society and the environment through practical action."

And we focus our effort in four areas: circular economy, climate action, responsible manufacturing, and value creation.

For circular economy, ASUS takes a whole lifecycle approach, targeting sustainability across every phase of product life cycle and enhancing our competitiveness. Our achievements so far include:

• ASUS has saved approximately 320,000 trees from deforestation by using over 20,000 tons of recycled paper in 2022.

• Over 1,500 tons of post-consumer recycled plastic have been used in our products since 2017.

• And, we have recycled more than 40,000 tons of e-waste since 2019.

ASUS climate action is guided by a clear roadmap to net-zero and by our science-based targets for carbon emission reduction.
There are three stages in our roadmap to achieving our goals:

• The energy efficiency of ASUS key products exceed 30% of ENERGY STAR standard.

• We have also committed to using 100% renewable energy in our Taiwan-based operations by 2030 and global operations by 2035.

• ASUS has invested in innovative technology to remove remaining carbon emissions by 2050.

To signal our commitment, ASUS has joined RE100, a global corporate renewable energy initiative, and we have committed to setting a science-based target with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

Furthermore, we stick to our commitment to sustainability by making our products greener. ASUS debuted our first carbon-neutral certified commercial laptop, the ExpertBook B9, in 2022, and we will receive a validation statement in January 2023. Also, we proactively reduce our product carbon footprint and offset residual emissions by using nature-based carbon credits, moving us one more step forward on our net zero roadmap.

We are aware that individual efforts aren't enough. Therefore, we promote responsible manufacturing throughout our entire supply chain.

"ASUS embraces technological innovation to implement sustainable actions and development in our own value chain. But we also actively encourage all supplier partners to call upon their wisdom and gather strength to create greater green and sustainable value for the global economy, society and environment." --ASUS Co-CEOs S.Y. Hsu and Samson Hu

In order to build a more sustainable and resilient supply chain, we join as a Full Member of Responsible Business Alliance to support the vision of the RBA, and we also include our suppliers' ESG performance in our procurement decisions and management processes. Since 2018, we have sourced 100% responsible minerals into our production process. We also ensure suppliers' compliance with ASUS' Code of Conduct through annual audits.

Additionally, in order to understand the total environmental impact of our supply chain, ASUS published the industry's first environmental profit and loss assessment report. We are also the world's first IT company to receive the ISO 20400 sustainable procurement certificate.

Lastly, for value creation, we leverage our core business resources and abilities to help the communities in which we operate, continuing to innovate on sustainability and give back to society.

We have conducted a digital inclusion program and have donated over 20,000 computers to 1,800 nonprofit organizations. And, we set up 500 digital learning centers in 39 countries - with a vision to eliminate the digital gap and create equal opportunities for all. So far, our digital learning centers have benefited more than half a million people in total.​

We embrace full transparency and accountability when it comes to the commitments we have made and the actions we have taken towards sustainability. In 2021, our effort was recognized by the Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards (ASRA). This approach is fully ingrained in our sustainability reporting, including our Sustainability Report, Environmental Profit and Loss report, Social Return on Investment report, as well as our Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) Report.

As we progress on this incredible journey towards sustainability, we continually leverage our technological leadership, data-driven rigor, and human-centered philosophy, to create a net-zero enterprise that drives the shift towards a circular economy - with a responsible supply chain creating shared values for each and every one of us.

Therefore, at CES 2023, as we unveil a wide range of incredible products, ASUS also wants to highlight our leadership in innovation and sustainability with a clear vision and roadmap for the future, with new incredibly green solutions.

The incredible future is in all our hands; let's sustain an incredible future, together.

Click to see ASUS CES 2023 highlights: https://www.asus.com/event/CES/